Intel United Dell uses core CPUs to build high-end HPC

The many integrated Core (MIC) X86 coprocessor, which is code-named "Knights Corner," by Intel Corporation, has won the first round in hybrid supercomputers, The supercomputer, which configures the Intel Coprocessor, will be established in January 2013 at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas.

The supercomputer code-named "Stampede", which is 10000 trillion times per second, originates from Dell, founded in 1984 by Michael Dell at the University of Texas dormitory. Stampede Supercomputer was born after the "Ranger" system developed by Sun Microsystems, "Ranger" supercomputer is equipped with the Hao long processor, a total of 62,976 cores configured, computing capacity can reach 579.4 trillion times per second. The third supercomputer, created by Dell, is named "Lonestar", with a total of 22,656 Xeon processor cores, capable of computing capacity up to 302 trillion times per second.

Both Dell and Hewlett-Packard are good at configuring servers and graphics processor coprocessor in a more compact way, but two companies have no reason to work together to build a stampede supercomputer to accommodate up to 10000 trillion computing power per second in as little space as possible.

For example, Dell chooses the PowerEdge C2100 server with the Intel Xeon E5 processor to accommodate up to four half-high dual servers and one to two PowerEdge c410x PCI expansion enclosures in a 2U chassis. This chassis accommodates 16 graphics processor Coprocessor and is expected to be configured with Mic coprocessor at some point in the second half of 2012. The ratio of two graphics processors per server should be the most appropriate (one per route), especially if Dell can provide direct connection from each PCI 3.0 slot in the chassis for the Xeon E5 server. This allows the user to hold four servers and 16 mic coprocessor in 5U space.

If you prefer HP's product line (which is apparently not intended by the Texas High Computing Center), the SL390SG7 server offers a variety of heights to choose from, but the 4U chassis has two nodes and each node can support eight graphics processors. This allows users to configure two servers and 16 mic processors in the 4U chassis-computing power is lower than Dell's choice of configuring the same mic coprocessor. But the number of MIC processors in each channel has doubled, which may not be the right mix for the application software that the Texas High Computing Center is planning to run.

Dell did not disclose what server the Stampede cluster configured because the XeonThe specific launch time of the E5 processor has not been determined. All we know is that the model Dell is using in the Stampede supercomputer is configured with an Intel processor.

Intel spoke about the mic coprocessor at a research and development conference last week, and said the coprocessor is scheduled to be launched in the second half of 2012 and will integrate more than 50 Pentium cores, which are connected by the Ring Interconnect architecture configured in the Xeon and itanium® processors. The mic coprocessor was the rise of Intel's failed "Larrabee" graphics processor, when Intel believed that the "Larrabee" graphics processor would replace Nvidia and AMD in the discrete graphics market with the momentum of capturing the X86 market.

The sum of floating-point computations that the stampede supercomputer obtains with the Xeon E5 processor will reach 2000 trillion times, and Intel confirms that the system will use a eight-core processor model. The additional 8000 trillion computing power will come from the mic coprocessor.

A mic coprocessor (but not all 64 cores) located in the 50 core northern segments when it comes to dual computing power, which is responsible for 1 trillion floating-point computations, because the 22 nm process cannot be implemented on this size chip. So you can use 8,000 mic coprocessor and so on. It is estimated that Intel's floating-point level is based on double precision, but if not, only 4,000 mic processors are available.

The author says the supercomputer will be configured with approximately 2000 server nodes and approximately 8,000 mic coprocessor. This is the perfect match for the current Dell PowerEdge C2100 Server and c410x expansion chassis. Remember: If the Texas High Computing Center uses the PowerEdge C server version, then the 2000 trillion computing power of the Xeon E5 processor will occupy approximately 4,000 rack units, while the mic coprocessor can provide 8000 trillion computations in 1500 rack cells. The mic coprocessor has a better performance for each rack unit.

Of course, these are all speculative, as Intel, Dell and the Texas High Computing Center have not disclosed the specific configuration of the Stampede supercomputer.

(editor: Heritage)